Last Friday, Elwyn and I were invited to attend Riverbank Estate‘s first ever Food Bloggers Tasting Night and had a taste of Riverbank’s new menu. As I’ve been to Riverbank a month ago for lunch and recalled a memorable dining experience, I was excited to see what the new menu has to offer.

Based in the historic Swan Valley, Riverbank Estate is just 20 minutes from Perth’s CBD with panoramic views of a 25 acre vineyard. Head Chef, Darren King has been with Riverbank for nine years and Sous-Chef, Jared Hargreaves has been with them for five years. As a dynamic team, they have created a seasonally inspired menu with their expertise using the best fresh, regional and estate-grown produce. The new menu at Riverbank focuses more on shared plates with a greater focus on the joy of sharing food with family and friends.

We started with a Housemade chicken liver pate and crackers ($12) and spiced Kalamata olives ($9). From my first visit, I could still recall how delicious the chicken liver pate and spiced olives were. I was glad to see them on the table on the night and Elwyn who loved his olives enjoyed the spiced olives too!

Next up were the shared plates. There’s seared scallops, crispy prosciutto, pea and mint puree ($22). We paired it with the 2013 Chenin, an award winning white wine with a light and fruity note. This was one of our favourite dishes. The texture of the scallop mixed with the crunch of the prosciutto and creamy pea and mint puree was a perfect combination.

The second shared plate was the soft shell crab, watermelon salad, mustard aioli ($20) paired with a 2013 Semillon. The flavours of the soft shell crab were well balanced, with a slight bitterness and sweetness from the watermelon. The watermelon salad added freshness to the dish and gave the dish its light flavours. 

Next up was the grilled Wagyu beef, kimchi, wasabi, soy and sake dipping sauce ($22) paired with a 2013 Sangioves. Soft, juicy and tender, with a slight spice kick when eaten with the wasabi, kimchi and sake dipping sauce. It’s a dish bursting with unique flavours that was surprisingly well received.

Our final meat dish was the honey and soy glazed pork belly, ginger and carrot puree ($38) which you could pair it with the 2013 Verdelho or 2008 Merlot. This dish was another winner. The pork belly was sweet, tender and melt in your mouth with an added crunch. The carrot puree was deliciously rich and flavoursome. Such a beautiful dish.

During my last visit, I had two beautiful desserts from Riverbank and I was excited to see what dessert they have on their new menu. For dessert, we had the banana ice cream, chocolate and caramel ($16). Banana, chocolate and caramel, to me, is the one of the best combinations. The ice cream had a strong, refreshing banana flavour with an added touch of sweetness from the caramel and chocolate. It’s a winning dessert with a beautiful presentation. 

We had an enjoyable night tasting the beautiful and scrumptious food from Riverbank’s new menu. The service on the night was friendly and excellent. We can’t wait to see what Riverbank Estate comes up with in their seasonal menu in the future. Riverbank Estate is perfect for any occasion whether it is for a lunch escape from the hustle and bustle of the city to functions such as a wedding or a corporate event.

For all you lovely Take Me To Foodie Heaven readers and followers, Riverbank Estate has offered a generous $150 OFF a case of wine for March 2016 only by quoting the words “blogger” when placing your order.

We would like to thank Nicola, the lovely Restaurant Manager for inviting us and her team, Anna and Emma for their impeccable service. We would also like to thank Darren and Jared for cooking up a storm and putting together the delicious food for us.